Field of Disclosure
The subject disclosure relates to interactive inventory systems. More specifically, the subject disclosure relates to interactive residential or commercial inventory system and methods.
Background of Disclosure
When shopping, most people have to stop and think whether or not they already have products in their list of things to buy, or if products they need to buy are actually on their shopping list. When a commonly used consumable product depletes, the product may not be put on a list because there is still some left, even though the amount remaining is not enough for a full serving either by itself or with a recipe. When cooking a meal, people check for the main ingredients, but sometimes assume a smaller, commonly available ingredient, such as salt or flour, is available. Later, once they are well into the cooking process, they discover that they are currently out. This is not only frustrating, but can lead to inefficient purchases performed at the last minute because of a time constraint created by the in-progress cooking.
Consumers can find out about coupons and deals in their area, but the scope of these deals usually covers a greater area, which covers areas at greater distances than the consumer is willing to travel just to get the deal. Once a deal that the consumer is interested in is found, there are likely no interactive directions provided, but just an address or possibly a map of the location of the deal. Consequently, as the consumer travels about the greater area, they may pass right by a deal that they would be interested in if they happened to be close to it. However, even if they saw the deal earlier, there is nothing to alert them of the close proximity in which they now are. Some tasks are tied to specific products, such as charcoal for a barbecue and flour for baking a cake, which exist in many places, but without proximity alerts many consumers will wait until the last minute to actually purchase these products. One problem associated with this is that options may be slim at the last minute. Certain locations may be ruled out simply because of a time constraint. Monetary constraints may rule out other places, even though there may have been a special discounted rate offered earlier yet within the time frame that the consumer was aware of the upcoming event.
Buying in bulk can often save consumers money, and group purchases can result in even greater savings. While some consumers buy regularly used consumables in bulk, people rarely seek group purchases for these or other less often used consumables. People live in communities where group purchases can potentially include lots of consumers, yet purchases are performed individually.